How it is made
For straight-edged quilts, strips are often cut across the width of the fabric, joined end to end, then folded in half along their length with wrong sides together and pressed. The Utah State University guide uses 2¼ inch strips for thin batting or 2½ inch strips for thicker batting; the WeAllSew tutorial uses 2½ inches. Follow your pattern and binding method.
Strips are usually joined with a diagonal seam: lay two ends at right angles, sew across the corner, trim to a ¼ inch seam allowance and press the seam open.
How much length you need
Start with the distance around the quilt, then allow for joining and corners. The Utah State University guide adds 7–12 inches; the WeAllSew tutorial adds 10 inches. These are method-specific allowances.
For a 60 × 72 inch quilt, the perimeter is 2 × (60 + 72) = 264 inches. Following a method that adds 10 inches gives a target of 274 inches. Allow for fabric lost at strip joins when turning the required length into a cutting plan.
Straight grain or bias?
Strips cut across the width are fine for straight edges. Quilts with curved edges need bias-cut strips, which bend with the curve. See also quilt binding.